The club confirmed a deal for the Brazilian yesterday, which the BBC has claimed is in the region of £29 million as manager Brendan Rodgers adds another talented attacker to his squad for the new season.

While suggesting the move was a risk for Liverpool, Parlour also told talkSPORT that he feels it’s one that the Reds simply had to take.

“Look, I think it’s a big gamble by them but you have to take gambles sometimes in football – It will be interesting to see how he does,” he said.

“He gives them options – I can see him playing just in behind.”

Why is it a gamble?

It’s arguably a gamble because of the reported fee, which could have been used by Rodgers to target more than one player in other areas of the squad.

It’s a big commitment for the club to make with regards to a player coming from an arguably weaker club in a division where the football isn’t anywhere near as competitive as it is in England.

It could also be considered a gamble considering the importance of Philippe Coutinho, unless Rodgers intends to use Firmino at the very top of his attack.

Why isn’t it a gamble?

One of the best things about this deal for Liverpool is Firmino’s versatility.

He provides a good option as a playmaker and he’s also got experience of having played through the middle of an attack as a striker.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.